‘Brighton suits my style’ – Lallana on where he will fit in tactically

What difference will Adam Lallana make to Brighton & Hove Albion this season? The 2,524 fans attending Saturday’s test event friendly against Chelsea at the Amex Stadium saw signs of the impact he could have.

Lallana and fellow newcomer Joel Veltman were withdrawn at half-time by head coach Graham Potter, a planned move as they build up minutes after long periods of inactivity.

Defender Veltman’s last game for Ajax was on February 2, before the pandemic curtailing the Eredivisie season. Lallana did not feature for Liverpool once the Premier League resumed in June. His last appearance for the title winners came at Anfield on March 7, as an 84th-minute substitute in a 2-1 win against Bournemouth.

Potter deployed Lallana against Chelsea on the right of midfield in a 3-5-2 formation, with Veltman at right wing-back. The system switched to 5-3-2 out of possession, Lallana forming a compact trio in the centre of the park with the youthful pairing of Yves Bissouma and Steven Alzate.

Lallana is disciplined without the ball but the main reason for Brighton signing the former England international is his ingenuity in attacking areas. One triangular link-up midway through the first half highlighted his creative talents.

Receiving Leandro Trossard’s short pass inside the box with his back to goal, Lallana’s clever back-heel into the path of Alzate might have produced a goal without a heavy first touch from his young team-mate, which allowed Chelsea to clear the danger.

Lallana has been used in a variety of roles by different managers at different stages since George Burley gave him his debut at Southampton as an 18-year-old in 2006.

Seven years and eight permanent or temporary managers later, it was the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino that began to shape Lallana’s career. He tells The Athletic: “When I started at Southampton, I very much played off the left, No 10; almost a luxury-type player. When Pochettino came in, it was very apparent from day one there would be no luxury player in his team.

“That just meant that every player had to work their socks off to win the ball back, high press, so that’s where my love for pressing and winning the ball back came from — under Pochettino.”

One goal in particular — the winner in a 1-0 victory over West Brom in January 2014, a year into Pochettino’s tenure and four months before the Argentinian left for Tottenham — demonstrates Lallana’s effectiveness as a No 10.

The still below shows him drifting between strikers Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert before running onto Gaston Ramirez’s dink over the defence and firing home.

Within five weeks of Pochettino departing from Southampton for Spurs, Lallana left as well to join Liverpool during the reign of Brendan Rodgers.

He adjusted well to the pressing approach used by Rodgers at Anfield. A memorable example featured him closing down Lukasz Fabianski’s clearance in a 4-1 victory over Swansea in December 2014, sending the ball spiralling into the net.

His closing down in advanced positions became even more valuable after the appointment in October 2015 of Jurgen Klopp, who sometimes used him in a wide position, for example, when he assisted the only goal of the game for Georginio Wijnaldum in a 1-0 victory over Manchester City on New Year’s Eve 2016…

…but he was more regularly used as a No 8, tucked into a midfield triangle with the freedom to push forward into attack.

Lallana says: “I was very fortunate that Brendan and Jurgen played a very similar way. At Liverpool, my best position was definitely a No 8, being central. I can do a job off the side, depending on what formation the manager would like to play.”

More recently, Lallana has often operated even deeper. In a chaotic 5-5 draw against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup last season, for example, he was used in the holding role, starting passing moves from deep.

He says: “Over the last year, I’ve played four or five games in the holding role, which was great to learn and just see the game from a different vantage point. It was very stimulating, learning a new position. It was almost like learning a new sport.”

Two key statistics from Lallana’s eight Premier League campaigns demonstrate the extent to which he’s increasingly dropped into a deeper position.

In terms of shots, Lallana was consistently recording around two per match during his first five Premier League campaigns. The rise in 2017-18 is probably a reflection of a small sample size — he only played the equivalent of two and a half matches that season — but in the last two campaigns, his figures are closer to one shot per game. Defensively, he appears to be making more tackles than ever before.

At Brighton, Lallana will be expected to exert greater influence in advanced areas again. The 32-year-old tells The Athletic: “Having spoken with Graham, I’ll obviously play anywhere.

“But I very much see myself playing centrally in the No 8 role, or No 10, although I don’t think there is a luxury 10 any more. Those days have gone. There is no such thing as a free role. I’m really looking forward to getting cracking. The way I want to play for Brighton doesn’t really matter.

“Their style of football suits my football. I always want to receive the ball, wherever it is. In tight areas, I always try to receive the ball on the half-turn and get us playing forwards. I’m sure I can play in a few different positions but you’ll get the same Adam Lallana that just wants to receive the ball and be on the ball, and move the ball forward.”

Brighton saw off stiff competition to land Lallana in July and the midfielder believes he has found the ideal home to play in the latter stages of his career before a move into coaching.

He recognises the potential to help Brighton develop under Potter after their loss to Liverpool in July. “The style is very apparent, having watched their games closely, such as their game against Liverpool at the Amex,” Lallana continues.

“They lost 3-1 in the end but they were very brave on the ball, wanting to play out from the back. Graham wants his centre-halves to have the ball and he wants his midfield players receiving the ball on the half-turn. My attributes fall into that category from a technical side.

“I offer a lot more as well but watching them play and how they want to play the game, it’s a perfect fit. I keep saying it’s the perfect fit. It’s not just the club, the coach, the infrastructure — it’s the way that they want to play football, which is one of the most important things.”

(Photo: Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)